Viewers across Southeast Asia can look forward to the highly anticipated singing contest 'I Can Sing in Japanese!' to air at the same time as Japan on May 13th (Sat) at 7pm JST.

"GEM is the jewel of North Asian entertainment and our valued partnership with Nippon TV ensures that our viewers have unprecedented access to Japan's top titles without having to wait," said Virginia Lim, SVP and Head of Content, Production and Marketing, Sony Pictures Televisions Networks, Asia.

Hosted by Nakai Masahiro and Yukari Nishio, 'I Can Sing in Japanese!' spotlights aspiring non-native Japanese singers with a passion for singing Japanese songs. This season, contestants will be assessed by a panel of celebrity judges comprising R&B and pop singer May J; singer-songwriter Tatsuya Ishii; as well as famed musician Tetsuya Komuro, who is widely hailed as one of the most influential figures in the Japanese music industry. 'I Can Sing in Japanese! Spring 2017' premieres on GEM at the same time as Japan on May 13.

As an added bonus to this season's premiere of 'I Can Sing in Japanese!', GEM will also broadcast an hour-long TV special just one hour prior at 5pm (4pm JKT/BKK), which features the shortlisted finalists selected from GEM's inaugural Southeast Asia auditions held in Singapore. Filipina singing sensation, Krissha Viaje, won the hearts of the judges on the day, and was chosen as a finalist to represent Southeast Asia in Tokyo. Don't miss the action!

For more information on GEM channel and the latest telecast details, visit https://www.gemtvasia.com/ or join the conversation on social media (@GEMtvasia).

About GEM
GEM is the glittering jewel of Asian general entertainment. A joint venture between Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks and Nippon Television Network Corporation, GEM enjoys access to more than 500 hours of Japanese content per year exclusively from Nippon TV.

The channel features first-run and exclusive dramas, comedies and variety entertainment shows from Japan as well as other Asian territories including China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. This includes selected prime time dramas on the same day and within the same week of their broadcast in Japan. GEM also made history for being the first channel to broadcast Nippon TV's music festival 'THE MUSIC DAY' LIVE, and for simulcasting the Japanese drama series 'Guard Center 24' at the same time as Japan. In addition, GEM takes its shows beyond the screen and into the lives of viewers, and most recently brought Japanese star Hayami Mocomichi on promotional tours to meet with his fans in Hong Kong and Singapore.

GEM Vietnam, which is also part of the Asian channels portfolio, is wholly-owned and operated by SPT Networks.

See www.GEMtvasia.com for more.

About Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia
Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia was established in 1997 with Singapore as the Asian headquarters of Sony Pictures Television's networks business. It operates five ad-supported 24/7 channels which are wholly-owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

AXN is Asia's home of thrilling entertainment; Sony Channel is the premier destination for female-skewing Hollywood entertainment; Animax offers anime for all; ONE is powered by prime and current South Korean entertainment content; and GEM serves up star-studded and popular general entertainment programming from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. The company also operates joint-venture Indonesian telenovela channel FMN and children's content channel BabyTV.

About Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV)
Since becoming Japan's first commercial broadcaster in 1953, Nippon TV has become the country's undisputed ratings champion and finest producer of all genres of programs. One of the biggest successes for Nippon TV is "Dragons' Den," a globally successful business show. The format has sold into more than 30 territories including the UK, Canada, Australia, Russia, Germany, India, Italy and Nigeria. The Emmy award winning version, "Shark Tank," airs in the US. With well-established companies that deal in a broad range of businesses from movies, animation, events, to fitness clubs, Nippon TV is leveraging its ideal platform to expand into new realms. Recently launching a channel in Southeast Asia named GEM through a joint venture with Sony Pictures Television Networks, and taking a stake in the SVOD market through wholly-owned subsidiary Hulu Japan, Nippon TV is steadily solidifying its presence and brand as a global media powerhouse.